Abraham Kagan, 80, cardiologist, researcher

By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

Cardiologist Dr. Abraham Kagan, who led a decades-long research project on Japanese men in Hawai'i and other states, as well as Japan, died Feb. 1 in Massachusetts. He was 80.

KAGAN

The study involved 8,000 men in Hawai'i, many of whom are being monitored today. Because the men are now elderly, the Honolulu Heart Program has added diseases of the aged, including Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's.

Many of the findings in the study have been used in government's recommended dietary guidelines and rehabilitation programs for heart attack victims. They also guide physicians in treating heart disease.

Kagan split time between Hawai'i and Framingham, Mass., where he also studied cardiovascular diseases. He published many papers in medical journals and edited a book on the history of the Honolulu Heart Program.

Neurologist Dr. Jordan Popper said Kagan's contributions to the study of heart disease are immeasurable.

"Dr. Kagan was always a warm, enthusiastic personality who cared for people and always was able to elicit optimal work and achievement from his colleagues and staff," Popper said. "His ethical sense and integrity were outstanding."

Dr. Katsuhiko Yano began his research in cardiovascular epidemiology in 1958 when he met Kagan in Framingham. Yano moved to Hawai'i in 1973 after Kagan invited him to join the Honolulu Heart Program.

"Since then, he had been not only a respectable mentor in my research, but also a kind and dependable friend," Yano said.

Kagan was born on Feb. 14, 1922, in Malden, Mass. He received most of his medical training at Boston University and Boston City Hospital. He did his graduate training at Western Reserve University and Mount Sinai of New York.

Kagan is survived by his wife, Marion; two sons, Jonathan and Jeremy; and grandchildren.

Services are pending.